The present disclosure relates generally to turbofan engines and, more specifically, to systems and methods of retaining rotor blades engaged with an annular spool.
At least some known gas turbine engines, such as turbofan engines, include a fan, a core engine, and a power turbine. The core engine includes at least one compressor, a combustor, and a high-pressure turbine coupled together in a serial flow relationship. More specifically, the compressor and high-pressure turbine are coupled through a first drive shaft to form a high-pressure rotor assembly. Air entering the core engine is mixed with fuel and ignited to form a high energy gas stream. The high energy gas stream flows through the high-pressure turbine to rotatably drive the high-pressure turbine such that the shaft rotatably drives the compressor. The gas stream expands as it flows through a power or low-pressure turbine positioned aft of the high-pressure turbine. The low-pressure turbine includes a rotor assembly having a fan coupled to a second drive shaft. The low-pressure turbine rotatably drives the fan through the second drive shaft.
Many modern commercial turbofans include a low-pressure compressor, also referred to as a booster, positioned aft of the fan and coupled along the second drive shaft. The low-pressure compressor includes a booster spool and a plurality of rotor blades either formed integrally with or coupled to the booster spool with one or more retaining features. For example, the rotor blades may be individually inserted into and rotated circumferentially within a circumferential slot defined within the booster spool for positioning the rotor blades in a final seated position. However, as components of the turbine engine are increasingly being fabricated from lightweight materials, such as carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP), more efficient and weight effective means for retaining rotor blades may be desired.